Historic perspective on the role of the Garda Sergeant.

AlekSmart

Acting upon some friendly advice from psni,mod of the Emergancy Services forum who feels here to be a better location for this....

When Sergeants ruled their Patch !
http://www.independent.ie/opinion/le...g-1975086.html

A rather interesting letter from Mr Cullinane,and one might ask who the earth trembles for these days ?

Anybody like to offer contributions on Mr Cullinane`s pithy observations including whether they can be termed "Historical" rather than of relevance to current Garda belief`s,practices or standards ?

Apologies to H & H mods if this is an innapropriate forum but it`s becoming quite a task to find anywhere acceptable to post Garda related material these days

walrusgumble

some gardai as far up to the late 1980's wore their uniform while going to mass and were almost expected by the eldery to do so (this was in rural areass mind)

have a look on work on Eoin O'Duffy (the general and blueshirter) and his time as garda commissioner to get an idea of the standards and ethos of the garda (one of his greatest momements), i think conor brady has written some excellent books on the force

i could be wrong but the tone of the article was more an observation of the different attitude people may have towards the force today as oppose to now. after the priest and doctor and vet, the garda was the next important person in many a small rural town/village

is the ranks in the garda more structurred now/ mangerial/vary degree of divisions and sub divisions/more sergeants per stations? is the role of the sergeant more/less loaded than years ago? had a sergeant more responsibility then as oppose to now?

The Sergeant was the top dog in many rural areas many people would come in contact with him on a daily basis - the station normally being a one stop shop(still is), where a small town could have at least 3 gardas stationed in same, and one of them living at the station(you know this). a garda's career could then be strengthened or ruined by a station sergeant.Things have greatly changed now, where many stations are now only opened for 3 hours or so and the garda tries to socialise and live a bit away from where he is stationed. moreover, now with institues like ombusman, more avenues for rank and file to make complaints against colleagues etc?

MarchDub

I'm not sure what the OP's intentions are but I wouldn't go making too much of this or trying to make any claims of it being a situation unique to Ireland by any means. I have lived in small American towns where the local sheriff or sheriffs were the supreme authority and treated with absolute respect - in or out of uniform. Likewise local preachers were the same.

It is not at all uncommon for people who hold any kind of power to have the respect - and at times the fear - of the community and conversely, for them to be expected to adhere to certain local "norms" or customs like going to church.

AlekSmart

Thanks Walrusgrumble,the "article" is in fact a letter to the editor from what I take to be an ex-Garda.

I could be wrong but the tone of the article was more an observation of the different attitude people may have towards the force today as oppose to now. after the priest and doctor and vet, the garda was the next important person in many a small rural town/village

Is the ranks in the garda more structurred now/ mangerial/vary degree of divisions and sub divisions/more sergeants per stations? is the role of the sergeant more/less loaded than years ago? had a sergeant more responsibility then as oppose to now?

The Sergeant was the top dog in many rural areas many people would come in contact with him on a daily basis - the station normally being a one stop shop(still is), where a small town could have at least 3 gardas stationed in same, and one of them living at the station(you know this). a garda's career could then be strengthened or ruined by a station sergeant.Things have greatly changed now, where many stations are now only opened for 3 hours or so and the garda tries to socialise and live a bit away from where he is stationed. moreover, now with institues like ombusman, more avenues for rank and file to make complaints against colleagues etc?

Its interesting that Walrusgrumble reads the letter and takes from it aspects of comparative relevance to the Garda Siochana force of today,which is what prompted me to post initially.

I do believe it`is a topic of relevance to the perception and regard in which the modern Garda Siochana are held,however that appears to be counter to the general run of moderation on the Emergency Services forum,so on with the discussion here ?

howaya

hello - the letter writer, whether former member or not, makes a factual error in his opening salvo in saying that women were not allowed join the Gardai in the 1960s - if anything, the force was straining to attract sufficient women whom it considered suitable at that time.
From what I know, sergeants of the time could exploit the regulations to assert themselves if they were inclined, particularly in smaller rural posts, but those regulations had been reformed significantly in the late 1950s and many smaller stations closed. It was in Dublin that a special rank was accorded to the principal sergeant at the stations there, by the rank of Station Sergeant.
If you have more to share or discuss about the historical position perhaps you'd PM me :-)